Dominic Bowden has returned from the US to live in New Zealand and host the 2017 season of The Bachelor NZ, and he's pretty chuffed about it.
A veteran of local talent shows including The X Factor, Dancing with the Stars and NZ Idol, Bowden is bringing a lot of experience to the new gig and replacing Mike Puru, who is hosting The Café.
Talking to Bowden, his passion for The Bachelor becomes obvious very quickly and feels very genuine.
"I'm a huge fan of the show. I watched it religiously when I was still living in the US and I love that, more than anything, the show is about fun," he says.
"We want to make people crowd around their TVs each week, make the kind of show you have to watch as a group. Everyone's got opinions on who the guy should pick. I'm so excited to be a part of making that happen."
As well as the Kiwi shows he's fronted, Bowden has ample experience in the country he's called home for the last few years, including hosting The Hype, the US version of Dancing with the Stars and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.
While he loves living and working in the US, he says coming home is hugely exciting.
"When I got the call in Los Angeles to come back and host The Bachelor, it was incredible. Firstly, because I love the show and doing it won't even feel like a job, but also to come back and live in New Zealand. I have family, friends and a place here, and I'm excited to have a great summer."
Bowden loves watching The Bachelor, but he's also excited by the show's popularity, saying it's hard to get eyeballs onto anything when there's more media options than ever before.
"This is probably the most successful format in the world right now. The last episode of the last season was watched by over a million people, so it's one of the biggest shows in New Zealand. It's because of its universal language of love and connection," Bowden says.
"Whether you're watching it from an escapist point of view, or you may have been unlucky in love yourself. Maybe you just want to watch two people come together, in the same way you see a buddy meet someone and their relationship develops. That's a cool thing to experience."
As much as he talks up the romantic connection of the show, Bowden admits he also enjoys the competitive side of it.
"You put 30 girls together in an environment where they're all looking to win the heart of this one guy, you're going to have some drama. There's going to be fireworks."
While people love The Bachelor, many would never dream of going on it themselves - but Bowden is adamant great things await those who do.
"It's a chance to have a great experience, travel the world and meet a great guy. In New Zealand, things like this don't come along very often. You have to put yourself out there and be a bit vulnerable, but if you do that, the rewards certainly outweigh the cons."
In the age of Tinder and other popular dating and hook-up services, it may seem easy to find a romantic partner - but for many people, it isn't, especially if they're truly after a soul mate.
Finding that special someone on a reality TV show may seem unlikely to some, but the incoming host genuinely believes The Bachelor is a great place to discover true love.
"Guys and girls can relate to the fact that it's tough to meet people, it feels harder than ever to make a true connection. No matter where you live in the country and what apps you use, people can relate to that and are sitting there wondering why it is so tough to meet someone," says Bowden.
"I would tell those people that The Bachelor is actually a really good way to give that a shot. Some people are sick of swiping left or right, or going out and drinking in a bar until 2am. If that's you, if you're keen to try something else, you're the type of person we want on this show."
Right now, women around the country are signing up for the next season of The Bachelor. For them, Bowden has two simple bits of advice to increase their chances of success.
"Authenticity - you've got to want to be on the show for the right reasons. We're not looking for people who want to sell protein shakes on Instagram. This is about people who are open to making a connection," says Bowden.
"Be yourself. It's a cliché to say that, but it's so true. You've got to be yourself and honestly try to make a connection, while doing your best to forget that there are cameras there."
And it's not just motivating themselves women out there will need, he says, but support from their loved ones too.
"To family and friends out there - everyone knows someone that is an incredible catch that they can't believe is single. She probably wouldn't think that The Bachelor is the right place to meet a guy. But it is a very viable option. We've had Bachelor weddings and babies all over the world - here Art and Matilda are a great testament to what can happen from the show."
Having worked extensively in television in both the US and New Zealand, Bowden says both industries are rewarding in their own ways.
"In New Zealand, we're incredibly intuitive and smart in the way we make television. On all the shows I've worked on here, I always hear people say how incredible they are for the budgets they have. That's Kiwi ingenuity," he says.
"In America, it's just so huge. On Dancing with the Stars US, the budget is $65 million, so you feel like a kid in a candy store. It's also very rewarding because you're on this big stage and it feels very real.
"But it's so big, it's hard to make connections. It's a lot more social here and easier to make friends on the smaller teams."
For some young people, working in the TV industry is a dream and building a career similar to Bowden's is something they'd love to achieve themselves.
He warns that it's a very difficult path to follow, but digital DIY platforms such as YouTube have opened up a whole range of new possibilities.
"It's a really tough game. It's really difficult to make it work in this market - we're really small and the industry is getting more and more fragmented," says Bowden.
"What's happened in the last few years with digital is great, because there are so many more opportunities to find an audience. People can do their own little projects, establish an audience and get sponsored - rather than trying to get one of three or so mainstream jobs that come up in a year."
Bowden also stresses that hosting live television is like any other job in that you'll only get good at it through practice.
"I did a live music show many years ago with Jacqui Brown and I sucked - we were terrible. I can't even watch them - but if I didn't make the mistakes I made there, I would've made them later on a bigger stage when the whole country was watching," says Bowden.
"I've made so many mistakes over the years, but you only make them once. It's like when people start a band - you've got to get out there and play live as often as you can, because every time you do, you get better. Every single time I do live television, I'm better."
The next season of The Bachelor NZ launches with Bowden as the host next year and the casting call for hopeful ladies is still open.
Newshub.
